Trainer Tells All – What I Have Learned About Health and Fitness

I was riding my mountain bike yesterday and all of the sudden it just came to me. I just started thinking about how many things I’ve learned through my own personal working out (since I was a kid and playing competitive sports) as well as being a trainer over the past several years. So today I just wanted to share some of the things this 36yr old (note this was originally written in 2008) has personally learned about all things health and fitness….in no certain order….

Pushups are the best upper body workout designed….no machine can replace that…you don’t need any equipment and you can do them anywhere.

It’s easy to become a certified trainer (as I have seen overweight people become certified)….it’s not easy to work as one full time (hence a high turnover rate in many clubs)

Mainstream media is 5 years behind research studies….research studies are 10 years behind what people are already doing for health and results

The eat low-fat advice was the biggest health disaster in the last 30 years

The greatest learning experience was helping people with autoimmune/arthritis to get healthier…..I never got more appreciation for my own health and how important prevention really is.

The saddest thing to see is someone crippled by a potentially preventable disease while they are young which keeps them from doing simple daily activities and on multiple medications

I was 215 lbs in college and thought I was big and had muscles….now at a much leaner and defined 185lbs I know I was more fat than muscles back then

I can still keep up with the 21 yr old hockey players…..I just am a little more sore the next day now….

Mountain biking is fun….snapping off my derailer and making it a single speed is even more fun

The smartest trainer I know does not have a website or best selling ebook….as he is too busy training real clients

Apple Cider Vinegar (diluted in lots of water) is the only medicine I take if I feel sick

I can go up and down up to 5-10lbs in a week depending on glycogen and water balance

The first big amount of lbs you lose in the first week dieting is mostly water

If you want to get better at running….you run…..at biking…you bike…….at a sport…you play that sport

I know a professional athlete making millions and a star on his team…yet he can’t do a pullup…but he doesn’t need to

There is no one right way for anything…..as 20 different ways can get you results…

80/20 rule is so true…..80% of your results come from just 20% of the exercises, 20% of the food in supermarkets, and spending 20% of your time working out.

Results are just the simple yet important things done on a consistent basis

Losing more than 2lbs a week is probably not all fat

Gaining more than 2lbs a week is probably not all muscle

All diets fail over the long run….but lifestyle changes last

All diets books are saying the same thing in general…they just make a new way to present it

There is nothing new in health and fitness…..just ideas that resurface that are long forgotten

Fads are created to sell more specialized equipment/gear, lifting/throwing something heavy and running fast has been around for 100s of years and still works

Want a strong “core”? Lift something heavy over your head and walk around trying to stabilize it…the motivation to not drop it on your head will work wonders

There should be a law against selling any dumbbells less than 5lbs….or ones in neon colors

If your trainer can not get you to lose weight, fire him/her. You are not paying for his/her company or excuses….go find someone who can deliver or knows how to get results

Squatting to parallel will only give you weak hamstrings and lead to more knee issues….you should be able to go down like you were going to pick something off the ground….as that is the reason our bodies were designed to squat

The best thing anyone can do for their health/results is to just try new things…see how their body adapts and responds…and learn how to take total control no matter life may throw at them in the future

Blogging is more effort than I would ever imagine….but I enjoy sharing what I know

If you like what I write…the best thing you can do is help spread the word…so others can start improving their health and fitness too

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MEET "2 MEAL" MIKE

Mike O'Donnell has been a fitness trainer and coach for 12+ years promoting simple eating and exercise solutions. Mike's programs are based on years of research, experience and getting people results. Mike created "The IF Life" in 2008 as a place to help people break free from complicated solutions. Mike is also the author of the 2 Meal Solution. You can connect with Mike also on Facebook and Twitter

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